MMRDA takes steps to ease traffic woes

Requests WR and BEST to run auxiliary services between Andheri and Dahisar

Anticipating a nightmare over the flow of traffic on Link Road and Western Express Highway (WEH), the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has started preparing a traffic management plan. It has requested the Western Railways and the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) to run additional services between Andheri and Dahisar for time being till the civil work on the elevated Dahisar-DN Nagar Metro-2A corridor and Dahisar east-Andheri east is complete.

The MMRDA plans to start civil work on both the corridors simultaneously after the monsoons, which could affect lakhs of office-goers and commuters using the WEH, and the Link Road as the Metro-7 is planned over the WEH and the Metro-2A over the Link Road. “Any brown field project has its own challenges and in the case of elevated Metro-2A and Metro-7, the traffic will be affected and that is why we requested the Western Railways and the BEST to run more services so that maximum commuters opt for public transport services rather than private vehicles to avoid choking the already congested roads,” said a MMRDA official.

The MMRDA has set the deadline for completing both the projects for 2019 for which the bids were floated a few months ago. Further, the MMRDA awarded contract to companies like J Kumar, NCC, Simplex for carrying out the civil work. The MMRDA, in its budget for the financial year 2016-17, had set aside `500 crore each for the projects.

“For now, we are in the process of preparing a traffic management plan which will require a nod from the traffic department. We plan to complete major civil works like placing girders in the night time when the traffic flow is minimal and the work can be smoother in these hours,” added the official.

The MMRDA is also planning to demolish six foot overbridges (FOB) on the WEH from the Andheri to Dahisar stretch where the alignment for the Metro-7 is planned.